Abstract [en]

This is minor field study conducted in Gävle, Sweden. The purpose of the field study is to find answers to questions related to morality and spirituality with the main concern of investigating the phenomena in the gymnasium. Aspects of this presentation focus on the role of religion in moral development, on whether spirituality necessarily evokes a sense of morality or if they are entirely separate issues. This presentation also explains briefly what spirituality is, as well as expatiating on certain moral theories propounded by certain scholars and its relevance to the study. Since morality can sometimes be relative to persons in different places, I also did a brief comparative work by looking at the situation in Ghana and Sweden when it comes to morality.

The phenomenological method was chosen in conducting this research. In line with this I interviewed two students in the gymnasium, I distributed questionnaires to twenty three other students and I interviewed a priest twice to gather some information which was resourceful in organising this study. In Ghana, morality is averagely a matter of social importance and most persons, though not everyone, serve as a check to ensure that what are believed to be right actions are distinguished from wrong actions. Religion forms the core of spirituality for most Ghanaians. With 93.3% of the population claiming to be religious, this issue is not surprising. It is with much interest therefore that I conducted a fieldwork in Sweden to know the varied views in spirituality and morality. There are a lot of similarities to say, in terms of morality and spirituality in Sweden and in Ghana. However, the enormous differences cannot be left out.